


A Blessing and a Curse

by WreckEmRalph



Category: Wreck-It Ralph (Movies)
Genre: Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 03:08:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18460235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WreckEmRalph/pseuds/WreckEmRalph
Summary: A year after the cybug infestation, Vanellope found herself adjusting well to her new life. There was only one thing which continued to plague her: the one part of her she could never leave behind.





	A Blessing and a Curse

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've ever written so I hope you enjoy, but if you don't that's aight.  
> Critique is welcome.

It was always a part of her. The players called it her power, an ability, “super cool”, amazing even. On a normal day she would have agreed with them, but today was not a normal day. As she sat curled into a mint-colored ball atop her pink, princess bed she could not help but think back on all the times it had caused her confusion, grief, and frustration. She felt it move through her. A ripple of scattered pixels breaking her body into bright ones and zeros before mending it back together again: her glitch. 

 

The first glitch she could remember was over fifteen years ago. She had woken up for the very first time in Diet Cola Mountain. A bit confused, she searched for an exit, somehow knowing she had a race to attend. She discovered her ability while trying to distance herself from a popping bubble of molten cola lava. She was thrilled. She could not wait to show her friends, but they were not pleased. They greeted her with frightened faces which warped into scowls. They told her she was just a mistake and a danger to their game's very existence. They teased her, pulled her hair, pushed her into chocolate puddles, and by the order of the king shunned her completely.

She just could not understand. What made her deserving of such punishment? She racked her brain but could not find a reason beside the one the racers gave her every day. 

“You're just a glitch,” they'd tell her. 

“That's all you'll ever be.”

 

The second glitch she vividly remembered occurred the day after Ralph's arcade fiasco. She thought her glitch was finally completely under control since her fight with Turbo. She was wrong.

Ralph had come to pick her up for her first venture outside of Sugar Rush. He carefully held her hand, leading her all the way up to the exit. She had raved about this trip all morning, but the closer they became to the exit the more her excitement turned to nervousness. Her heart sank, and a pit rose in her stomach. She slowed her pace until she fully stopped, her hand slipping from Ralph's grasp. He looked back to see her glitching from side to side, clutching the tiny drawstrings of her hoodie. It was the worst he had seen her glitch since… well, he preferred not to think about that. 

“Hey kid,” he said, crouching to her level. “What's the matter? We're almost there!” 

“I-I just… wha-a-at if it doesn't w-work?”

She imagined herself being blocked by the force field, trapped in Sugar Rush forever. Ralph imagined it too. He suddenly felt a twinge of guilt for hyping her up so much. What if she really was stuck in here forever? She would be devastated, but they had to try. 

He tried to place one monstrous hand behind her back, but she glitched right through it. Though he knew she had not meant to, it still hurt him a bit. He sighed deeply. 

“Vanellope, listen to me.”

His voice was the most gentle she had ever heard it. 

“It  _ will _ work. You're a racer, just like everyone else now.”

“B-but even if it d-does, what if everyo-one thinks I'm weird? And they make f-fun of me-e for my s-stupid glitch? And-”

“Hey!” he softly barked. “The players love you and your glitch, right? So will everyone else. And if they have a problem they can talk to these bad boys.” 

He held up his fists in a fighting stance before playfully punching Vanellope as lightly as he could. She giggled and stopped glitching long enough for him to pull her head up with the side of his finger. He stared intently at her puppy dog eyes.

“Everything’s gonna be ok. Ok?”

“...Ok.”

He walked to the other side of the entrance and beckoned her over. She inched her way forward, stretching one arm out in front of her. Slowly, she passed it through the gate. So far so good. She squeezed her eyes shut and made her way through. Ralph was right. It had worked. She felt a tremendous weight lift off her shoulders, and she spent the whole train ride bouncing and smiling ear to ear. 

 

The third memory which flooded her mind was her first bad experience outside of Sugar Rush. It was three days before Christmas, and Gene was hosting a party in his penthouse. Ralph had finally been invited for the first time in thirty-one years, which meant Vanellope was also invited. They agreed to help Felix and a couple of the Nicelanders set up decorations and lay out the food. Vanellope could not help but observe and smell every single plate of food the two of them placed on the tables. She had never eaten any of those dishes (save for Mary's famous pie), and she grew giddier with each passing second.

After setting out the food, she and Ralph were called into the kitchen with Felix and Mary. Mary had decided to give the three of them Christmas gifts for helping her set up. To Ralph she gave a personal cherry pie. To Felix she gave a Southern cook book and a big pie for him and Calhoun to split. Finally, to Vanellope she handed a small pink box. Vanellope could feel the excitement bubbling in her chest. 

“Open it, dearie!” Mary said. 

  Vanellope opened the lid to reveal a large homemade cupcake. She carefully pulled it out and held it right in front of her eyes. It was themed after her with chocolate cake and mint and vanilla swirled frosting. Rainbow pearls were sprinkled on top, and two little red licorice sticks poked out of the peak. She felt a smile creep onto her face.

“Oh wow, Mary! That's beautiful!” Felix exclaimed.

Vanellope continued to turn the confection, her smile growing bigger and her eyes wider. No one beside Ralph had ever made her anything before. She was ecstatic. Just as she began a giggle fit, it happened. The excitement was too much for her little body to contain, and she glitched causing her fingers to loosen their grip on the cupcake. Her glitch traveled to the dessert as well causing it to glitch the rest of the way out of her hand. With a resounding  _ splat  _ it fell to the ground, drawing gasps from the four of them. Her perfect gift was ruined.

A flood of disappointment, guilt, and embarrassment washed over her. Her cheeks and ears flushed red, and tears welled in her eyes. 

“I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!”

“Oh, sweet heart, it's quite alright,” Mary said. “I've had bigger cakes smashed before.”

She glanced at Ralph with a smirk. He quickly looked away, his cheeks turning pink. 

“That wasn't the only one I made,” she explained while opening a box on the counter. Inside were two sloppier cupcakes.

“I made these to test the frosting technique. I was going to eat them myself, but you can have them.”

Mary closed the box and handed it to Vanellope who carefully held it with both hands. She felt relieved. How could she be disappointed now that she had two cupcakes? Still, she felt guilty for destroying Mary's hard work, and she was unable to shake that feeling of embarrassment. Sensing this, Mary suggested Ralph and Vanellope take up “greeting duty” otherwise known as sitting in the living room for about an hour until the guests arrived. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Ralph spoke up.

“So uh… you planning to eat both of those yourself? I mean they're pretty big.”

Vanellope squinted at him with a smirk.

“Why? You want it?”

“Hey, all I'm sayin’ is sharing is caring, and who better to share with than your best bud?”

She scoffed. 

“Yeah right. Get your own cupcake, Stinkbrain.”

He chuckled and rubbed her head with one large finger, receiving giggles in return. They soon fell back into silence. She let out a sigh, the red returning to her cheeks. Ralph sighed as well before gently nudging her shoulder. 

“Hey. It's alright. Mary's not upset, you know.”

“I know. It's just that… sometimes I wish I didn't have this dumb glitch...”

Ralph was taken aback by this statement. She seemed to love her glitch, always using it to jump onto his shoulders, get access hard-to-reach areas, and win races. 

“What do you mean?” He asked softly. “You don't like it?”

“No I do! But sometimes… I don't. I just- I hate when it happens and I can't control it! I hate when I mess things up `cuz of it. It's so embarrassing...”

Ralph folded his hands together and thought for a minute. He breathed in and sighed heavily.

“Listen. I understand. You think I like having these ham hands all the time? I've accidentally wrecked more things than I can count. It sucks sometimes, but it's what I was built to do. It's the same with your glitch. We just… gotta learn how to keep it under control is all.”

Vanellope nodded and stared at her shoes as she swung them back and forth. Deep down she knew he was right. Eventually, she was able to push back those feelings enough to enjoy the party, but they never truly went away. 

 

As these memories swum through her mind she clutched her knees tighter. She wished she could sink into her mattress and disappear forever. Ok, maybe not forever but at least for a week or seven.

Today was supposed to be a normal day, a super fun, amazingly incredible day. Yet, once again, her glitch had ruined it. The arcade was closed which meant they had the whole day off. She and Ralph had spent all day hopping around different games, tasting all their bizarre yet delicious foods, and finally ending with chatter over root beers at Tapper's. They shared stories of humorous things players did that week, discussed the latest gossip, and (of course) competed in burping contests. Just as she thought the night was perfect he hit her with an unexpected question.

“So, I noticed you've been extra nice to Rancis lately. What's up with that, huh? You got a crush or something?” 

He nudged her shoulder and leaned closer, a smirk plastered on his face. Vanellope felt her cheeks turn pinker than usual. She jerked her head back and brought her mug closer to her body. She did have a crush on someone, but there was no way she'd ever tell him that and especially not who. It was just too embarrassing.

“W-what? Eew, barf! Of course not,” she lied.

“Oh, come on. You can't hide it from me. Who is it? A racer?”

“No!”

“Is it someone from Street Fighter?”

“No, gross! Ralph-”

“Ooh, I know! It's one of those Madden guys, isn't it? They  _ are _ pretty fit. I don't blame ya’.”

“Ralph, stop! I don't have a crush on anyone!”

Before she could finish her sentence she glitched briefly yet intensely, her fingers phasing through the mug. It shattered onto the floor. Root beer splattered in a messy puddle, and glass shards slid across the floor, bumping into the feet of other patrons. The bar went silent. Several characters turned their heads in surprise. She had yelled her objection a bit too loud, and many surrounding customers were now in on their private conversation, much to her dismay.

Vanellope felt her cheeks burn red and her chest tighten. It was like the cupcake disaster all over again. She wanted so badly to apologize and pick up all the broken pieces, but she could not move nor force any words out of her mouth. It took Tapper walking over to the mess and Ralph placing a hand on her shoulder to snap her out of shock. She inhaled sharply, and tears pooled in her eyes. She glitched from her stool and ran as fast as she could out of the door and into Sugar Rush.    

 

That memory was of only a moment ago. Vanellope continued to replay the event in her head. She felt so conflicted. Why did her best trait also have to be her worst? She stewed in her negative thoughts until she heard a gentle knock at the door. 

“Vanellope? It's Ralph…”

She rolled onto her side, away from his voice. 

“Go away,” she quietly demanded.

He sighed heavily and leaned his head on the door. 

“Tapper isn’t angry, ya’ know. People break those mugs all the time. He's got an endless supply.”   

He listened for a response but got none.

“Listen. I… I'm sorry about earlier. I was just messin’ with ya’. I didn't mean to embarrass you.”

Still receiving no response he dropped his head in shame. He absolutely hated when she was hurting, especially if he was the cause. 

“Kid, I really am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanna talk... Can you please let me in?”

He waited for a moment before turning to leave. He heard her faint, wobbly voice just in time.

“Fine.”

He froze in place.

“Really?” He asked.

“Yes. Now hurry up before I change my mind.”

He hovered his hand over the doorknob before slowly turning it and pushing the door open. He practically tiptoed over to her bed and carefully (with a rather loud creak) sat on the end. Unsure of what to say, he folded his hands in his lap and let his eyes wander around her room before glancing over at her. 

“Look. I know you're mad at me, and that's fine. I was bein’ a jerk back there.”

Vanellope had long since forgiven him. After all, how could he have known how the topic would make her feel? 

“I'm not mad at you, Stinkbrain. I'm… I'm mad at… myself.”

He tilted his head and furrowed his brow.

“Is this about your glitch? You remember what I said at Gene's party, right?”

She turned toward him but could not yet bring herself to look at his face.

“Of course I do!” She whined. “I love my glitch, but it just sneaks up on me at the worst times! Sometimes I just… think it’d be better if I didn't have it…”

As hard as he tried, Ralph simply could not think of the right words to say to comfort his young friend.  _ A child should never have to feel this way about herself, _ he thought. 

Gently, he scooped her up and cradled her between his palm and the crook of his arm. He shifted over to the pile of pillows in front of her head rest and sunk into it. Vanellope tightly clutched his plaid shirt. She could no longer hold back her tears, and she began to cry. She plunged her face into his chest, her tears dripping onto his clothes. He did not mind one bit. All he wanted was for her to feel better. He gently stroked her hair with his free hand.      

Eventually she ran out of tears to spill. The only sounds from her were shaky breaths and the occasional sniffle. Ralph turned her head and pushed the loose strands of hair away from her eyes, meeting them with his own.

“Vanellope, you've got an amazing ability. Don't you hear the players talking about how cool you are and how much they wish they could glitch around like you?”

Vanellope nodded ever so slightly. 

“I mean yeah, sometimes it's not great. Sometimes you can't seem to stop breaking things, and it feels like it just gets in the way of everything... But that doesn't mean it'll always be like that. It's gonna take a while to master. Took me two years to be able to even pick up a Tapper's mug without breaking it.” 

She let out a faint hum in response.

“And even if it takes a hundred thousand years, I'll always be by your side to cheer you on… Princess.”

He playfully poked her cheek and smiled warmly.

“ _President,”_ she retorted. 

“Ah, right. My apologies, President Booger Face.” This caused Vanellope to crack a smile. Ralph rustled her hair, and they giggled together.

“Hey. It's gonna be alright. No matter what, I'll always be there for you.” 

He could admit those were not the most elegant words for the situation, but they were exactly the words Vanellope needed to hear in that moment. As she rested her head on his chest she felt a calm settle in her own. Just moments ago she felt vulnerable and weak, but in his arms she felt loved and protected. They sat together in silence, isolated from the outside world. He continued to run his fingers over her hair, allowing his eyes to wander around her room once more. She let his words replay in her mind, drowning out her painful memories.

_ Everything’s gonna be ok. _

_ I understand. _

_ I'll always be by your side. _

_ I'll always be there for you. _

In that moment all was well. Ralph's steady breathing and the drum of his heartbeat composed a soothing lullaby in her ears. She let out a deep yawn. Her eyelids grew heavy, and soon she felt herself slowly drift asleep.


End file.
